Finding Fanny Review
Finding Fanny, starring Naseeruddin Shah, Deepika Padukone, Dimple Kapadia, Arjun Kapoor and Pankaj Kapur, is a delightful, warm and sunny movie which (thankfully) doesn't have your typical Bollywood masala.
While most Bollywood movies are overdosed with drama and garishness, Finding Fanny is a rare gem which has been created with a tremendous amount of tenderness. It's a rare gem amongst the senseless potboilers that Bollywood has been producing since ages.
You might find most Bollywood flicks infested with the cheesiest jokes, physics-defying stunts and a bunch of highly unnecessary innuendos.
However, Finding Fanny is completely different.
Before we delve into the merits of this superbly well-crafted film, let's just get a few technicalities straightened out, shall I?
WHAT IS FINDING FANNY REALLY ABOUT?
Once upon a time, there was a postmaster in a small Goan town (which you can't find in the map. So don't waste your time trying to search for it!). One fine night, while this eccentric postmaster was lost in his dreams, he gets a letter.
This letter happens to be the letter that he'd sent years ago, to his love, Stephanie "Fanny" Fernandes. It has been returned because no one received it in the first place.
So, with a little bit of coaxing from his young (unfortunately widowed) friend Angie, Ferdie sets off on a one-and-a-half day trip just to tell his beloved Fanny about his true feelings. Accompanying him are Angie, her arrogant (though very voluptuous) mother-in-law Rosalina Eucharistica, young Savio Da Gama (Who Angie rejected) and the completely eccentric painter, Don Pedro.
This trip, however, manages to make this diverse bunch of people rediscover themselves... rediscover love.
WHY DID I LIKE IT SO MUCH?
Yes. So now that we've gathered the basic crux of the story, let me give a set of reasons as to why you ought to spend your money and watch this movie.
Why must you watch this movie, then?
First of all, Finding Fanny's humour isn't crass, garish or beyond stupid like most Bollywood movies. The jokes and puns in the movie are subtle, but they can manage to crack you up even if you watch the movie for the twentieth time!
Secondly, the plot is simple, yet manages to be one of a kind. It's not about some elaborate (somewhat unrealistic) heist nor is it a hard-hitting drama. It's about ordinary people that we come across everyday. It's a story about people like you and me.
Thirdly, I LOVED the characters. The actors who portray them somehow manage to get into the skin of their respective characters so well that the viewer manages to forget the actor playing the character. Instead, the viewer feels that the characters are real people.
Let's take Deepika Padukone for an example.
Known for playing glamorous roles, Finding Fanny saw a different side of Deepika altogether. She somehow manages to transform herself into the soft-spoken, gentle-hearted widow, Angie and easily manages to steal your heart.
I'm not saying that she was the best part of the entire movie. I think each and everyone who was a part of the movie did tremendously well. Dimple Kapadia portrayed the obnoxious, snooty "Lady Of Pocolim" with perfection. There were times when I felt like I could strangle her. And then there were times when I felt really bad for her.
Naseeruddin Shah, on the other hand, plays the frail and endearing postmaster, Ferdie, so well that you start desperately wishing for him to get his Fanny back! If he doesn't win the National Award for this, then...
Moving on.
I think this movie showcases one of Arjun Kapoor's best performances. Scratch Gunday. Scratch Ishaqzaade. Scratch 2 States. THIS is his best movie yet. He portrays Savio Da Gama's gentle character so beautifully! I have absolutely no words for it!
Lastly, (but not the least!) Pankaj Kapur was not just portraying the eccentric painter, Don Pedro. He was Don Pedro. Superb performance!
****
In conclusion, I'd love to say this: Finding Fanny is not just a simple, dark, satirical story about finding a long-lost love. It also teaches the viewer a lesson on life.
Beneath the unpredictable twists and madness, there lies a deeper message.
What is it, really?
I don't know how to express it in words, though. What I can say is this:
The movie tells us how we must approach an opportunity, instead of waiting for it like a fool. I think that it's about being brave enough to know what the main story is, no matter how much it crushes your heart into a million shards. Yes, it's better know what really happened instead of assuming what could have happened.
Overall, I'd give this movie a four out of five stars.
Why four? Why not five?
Well, I cut one star because the movie wasn't longer! :)
I know that the last bit I said about the underlying message might not make sense to you, right now. Maybe, I think you should go ahead and watch the movie yourself, instead of plucking out sense from my nonsensical sentences!
While most Bollywood movies are overdosed with drama and garishness, Finding Fanny is a rare gem which has been created with a tremendous amount of tenderness. It's a rare gem amongst the senseless potboilers that Bollywood has been producing since ages.
You might find most Bollywood flicks infested with the cheesiest jokes, physics-defying stunts and a bunch of highly unnecessary innuendos.
However, Finding Fanny is completely different.
Before we delve into the merits of this superbly well-crafted film, let's just get a few technicalities straightened out, shall I?
WHAT IS FINDING FANNY REALLY ABOUT?
Once upon a time, there was a postmaster in a small Goan town (which you can't find in the map. So don't waste your time trying to search for it!). One fine night, while this eccentric postmaster was lost in his dreams, he gets a letter.
This letter happens to be the letter that he'd sent years ago, to his love, Stephanie "Fanny" Fernandes. It has been returned because no one received it in the first place.
So, with a little bit of coaxing from his young (unfortunately widowed) friend Angie, Ferdie sets off on a one-and-a-half day trip just to tell his beloved Fanny about his true feelings. Accompanying him are Angie, her arrogant (though very voluptuous) mother-in-law Rosalina Eucharistica, young Savio Da Gama (Who Angie rejected) and the completely eccentric painter, Don Pedro.
This trip, however, manages to make this diverse bunch of people rediscover themselves... rediscover love.
WHY DID I LIKE IT SO MUCH?
Yes. So now that we've gathered the basic crux of the story, let me give a set of reasons as to why you ought to spend your money and watch this movie.
Why must you watch this movie, then?
First of all, Finding Fanny's humour isn't crass, garish or beyond stupid like most Bollywood movies. The jokes and puns in the movie are subtle, but they can manage to crack you up even if you watch the movie for the twentieth time!
Secondly, the plot is simple, yet manages to be one of a kind. It's not about some elaborate (somewhat unrealistic) heist nor is it a hard-hitting drama. It's about ordinary people that we come across everyday. It's a story about people like you and me.
Thirdly, I LOVED the characters. The actors who portray them somehow manage to get into the skin of their respective characters so well that the viewer manages to forget the actor playing the character. Instead, the viewer feels that the characters are real people.
Let's take Deepika Padukone for an example.
Known for playing glamorous roles, Finding Fanny saw a different side of Deepika altogether. She somehow manages to transform herself into the soft-spoken, gentle-hearted widow, Angie and easily manages to steal your heart.
I'm not saying that she was the best part of the entire movie. I think each and everyone who was a part of the movie did tremendously well. Dimple Kapadia portrayed the obnoxious, snooty "Lady Of Pocolim" with perfection. There were times when I felt like I could strangle her. And then there were times when I felt really bad for her.
Naseeruddin Shah, on the other hand, plays the frail and endearing postmaster, Ferdie, so well that you start desperately wishing for him to get his Fanny back! If he doesn't win the National Award for this, then...
Moving on.
I think this movie showcases one of Arjun Kapoor's best performances. Scratch Gunday. Scratch Ishaqzaade. Scratch 2 States. THIS is his best movie yet. He portrays Savio Da Gama's gentle character so beautifully! I have absolutely no words for it!
Lastly, (but not the least!) Pankaj Kapur was not just portraying the eccentric painter, Don Pedro. He was Don Pedro. Superb performance!
****
In conclusion, I'd love to say this: Finding Fanny is not just a simple, dark, satirical story about finding a long-lost love. It also teaches the viewer a lesson on life.
Beneath the unpredictable twists and madness, there lies a deeper message.
What is it, really?
I don't know how to express it in words, though. What I can say is this:
The movie tells us how we must approach an opportunity, instead of waiting for it like a fool. I think that it's about being brave enough to know what the main story is, no matter how much it crushes your heart into a million shards. Yes, it's better know what really happened instead of assuming what could have happened.
Overall, I'd give this movie a four out of five stars.
Why four? Why not five?
Well, I cut one star because the movie wasn't longer! :)
I know that the last bit I said about the underlying message might not make sense to you, right now. Maybe, I think you should go ahead and watch the movie yourself, instead of plucking out sense from my nonsensical sentences!
Quite good.
ReplyDeleteI believe it would be easier to read if the background is made darker.
Devesh Valia, Podar.
Thank you so much for your valuable inputs. :)
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